countdown
by call.me.clueless
Summary: Somewhere between getting sick on train rides, sneaking peeks, and fighting demons, Natsu realized just what she meant to him. Too bad he's too late.
1. Chapter 1

NOTES. I'm so inspired by music, you don't even know. Florence + the Machine, Of Monsters and Men, Green River Ordinance. Serious stuff right there.

Disclaimer: NOT MINE. Okay? Okay.

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"Come back! I won't let you do this! Not alone," He cried, furious with her. He watched her run, further and further away from him and toward the very thing he had tried to protect them, her, from. He pulled at his leg, currently situated under a rather large tree, and tried to pry it free. He didn't have time for this. They were all in danger and he had to do something about it before it was too late.

He saw smoke begin to rise from the trees and he heard an ear shattering, heart breaking scream.

_No. This couldn't be happening._

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73 Hours, 23 Minutes, 54 Seconds Earlier

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"Luce! Hey, Luce!" The booming voice could be heard from anywhere in Magnolia, and Lucy Heartfilia chose to ignore it from her place at the bar. She swirled her drink and smirked knowingly at Mirajane. The blond waited for a crash to signal something, once again, had broken courtesy of her friend's entrance into the guild. For once, there wasn't anything other than quick footsteps hurrying towards her position.

She sighed, smiling lightly as she spoke, "What's up, Natsu?"

"I found another job for us and Erza and Gray and Happy!" His grin grew wide, black eyes shining with happiness, "I know I'm running low on food and you'll probably have to pay rent soon anyway. What do you say?"

"Well," Lucy started, tapping her chin to think of a way to get out of the job. It's not that she didn't love her team, really she did. It was just the fact that all of them, together, was a lot to handle, "Tell me some of the details first,"

Natsu took a seat beside his partner, sliding the paper over to her and saying, "It's pretty simple actually, so I'm not sure why they're paying so much for it but whatever. We've just got to break some curse or fight some demons or something. Sounds easy, right?" He beamed, obviously proud of himself for finding them such an _easy _job that he was so sure Lucy would be thankful for.

_Easy my ass, _She thought, her smile straining the slightest bit and her eyes hardening as she scanned over the paper. As she read over the details, her eyes continued to get wider and wider. They had to go to a village in the mountains and remove a curse of Demons from it. _How the hell is that 'easy'? _She scoffed, but turned towards the dragon slayer next to her regardless.

"If Erza and Gray are in, then so am I!" She smiled, knowing that if all four of them were together, nothing too terrible would happen. They always protected each other; what would make this time any different?

Natsu cheered beside her, picking her up in excitement. Lucy could feel the breath leave her lungs and her face heating of its own accord. The only thing she could hear was Natsu's laughter ringing in her ears. She couldn't even tell that she had a broad grin etched onto her tomato red face or that the dragon slayer had set her down again and was making an attempt to talk to her. "Luce? Hey! Hey, Lucy!" He yelled, waving his arms and flailing around. He took a quick glance at Happy, who had appeared on his shoulder, and shrugged, "You're such a weirdo, Luce,"

Lucy pulled out of whatever coma she had slipped into when Natsu hugged her and shook her head, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Natsu shot her a weird look, curious as to why she wasn't attacking him for calling her a weirdo like she always did. Not that he was really complaining because he'd rather not have the crap beaten out of him (again) today. He pulled from his thoughts and began rambling to Mira about the job, telling her that they would take it and leave as soon as possible. Natsu turned, beaming at her, and Lucy couldn't help but be excited to on another adventure.

* * *

She sighed, lowering herself into the perfectly hot waters. Steam filled the bathroom and covered the mirror with moisture. Lucy leaned against the cool acrylic of the tub and shivers were sent up her spine from the contrasting temperatures. The bubbles raised and floated against her skin, popping every so often and cleansing her skin of the day's frustration and grime.

This was just what she needed after a long day of dealing with Natsu, the guild, Natsu, the stresses of being a stellar spirit mage, and did she mention Natsu? After he sprung the new job on her, she was a roller coaster of emotions. She could handle being with her team, that was no problem. She had done countless missions with them before and had yet to kill them, which was a major success in her eyes. It was the fact that there would be demons and curses that scared her. Lucy dealt with spirits on a daily basis, but dealing with spirits that may or may not harm her and her friends was another matter entirely.

She groaned, running her hands over her tired eyes. When she opened them, a scream erupted from her throat.

"Natsu, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She covered herself with as many bubbles as she could, but knew that he wouldn't care even if she started dancing at that very moment. He just wasn't that type of person.

"I couldn't sleep because I'm too excited," He said nonchalantly as Happy flew into the open bathroom door. The Exceed saw the blond in her state and made a beeline for the water to join her. Lucy grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo and aimed for the cat, effectively knocking him to the floor.

She sighed, her face growing hot as she reached for a towel, "I was kind of in the middle of something. Can you, oh, I don't know, LEAVE?"

The pink haired man squinted his eyes, giving her a once over, and said, "Whatever, you weirdo," He waved before exiting the room, taking a still unconscious Happy with him, and leaving Lucy to her own devices for the time being.

Since when had she become so used to Natsu's random appearances that she allowed him to see her in the bathroom? Granted, she made sure that she was covered, but still. She decided that she must be insane.

After draining the tub sadly, she dried herself and put on her pajamas, knowing that Natsu would most likely start destroying her apartment if she waited too much longer.

"So, why exactly are you here?" She asked, moving into the kitchen for a small glass of water, "Are you guys hungry or something? Or did you just want to trash the place?" As she spoke, she took fleeting glances around to be sure nothing was too damaged. To her surprise, nothing was out of place aside from a dragon slayer and his cat lounging on her couch.

"I told ya we couldn't sleep. I'm too pumped to go fight demons tomorrow," Lucy could hear the smile in his voice and rolled her eyes.

"Sure, sure, but really, there has to be a reason," She eyed the pair skeptically, "Are you sure you didn't just get evicted or something?"

"Honest, Luce, you make it seem like I need a reason to come visit," Natsu scoffed, putting his sandal-ed feet up on the coffee table. He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back, "So about that food?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"Come on, Lucy, what's taking so long?" She could hear Gray whine from her living room. It was nearing one in the afternoon and they were supposed to be on their way to the train station in about half and hour. Time couldn't pass any more slowly.

However, she the knew longer she took, the more likely that Gray didn't particularly oppose because she was giving both he and Natsu ample time to raid her refrigerator. Lucy smiled and continued to rummage about her room for a few last minute items. Her eyes scanned over the list she had made who knows how many times just for jobs.

Change of clothes? Check. Toothbrush? Check. Undergarments? Check. Extra food in case Natsu decides he hungry? Check. Keys? Double check!

Satisfied, Lucy zipped her pack shut and joined her team in the living room. Her eyes widened at the sight of the three of her friends wrestling on the ground, running into all of the furniture and promptly tearing some of it to bits. Happy flew above them, acting as the mediator but clearly favoring Erza.

_How did I not hear them?! _Lucy thought as she slapped her hand against her forehead. _I guess I'm losing my touch. I'm getting to attached if I'm becoming immune to them. Today the destruction of my humble abode. Tomorrow, the entire world. Fan-fucking-tastic. _

"Guys," Lucy tapped her foot against the now scratched hard wood floors of her kitchen and waited for the fighting to stop. After a few moments of no change, she tried again, but a little louder, "Hey dumbasses! Stop trashing my stuff!" She screamed, her hands becoming fists at her sides as she shook. The three of them stopped at her sudden outburst; Erza's hands around Gray's neck, Gray's legs pinning Natsu to the ground, and Natsu biting Erza's ankle. How that happened, Lucy didn't want to know.

It took a matter of milliseconds for the three of them to realize their situation and to ready themselves to head out on their job. Lucy groaned as they grabbed their packs (Erza having more than all of them combined, but did you expect?) and headed out the front door. As soon as they left the apartment complex, they headed toward the train station, much to Natsu's dismay.

"Come on, guys, I picked the job; I think I should choose how we get there!" Natsu whined as they inched closer and closer to the station. His face was twisted into a frown, eyes pleading. They all knew that he hated any form of transportation, so why would they choose to take a train on a mission _he _picked? Maybe they secretly hated him. Natsu pondered the possibility of the idea.

"It's only logical to take the train. It's much faster and, if we walked, we would need to walk for four or five days through the mountains," Erza spoke as she pulled her luggage cart behind her. For her, it weighed as much as a feather, but to any of the other four travelers, it would be a daunting task to carry her things.

"Natsu doesn't look so good," Happy said, flying overhead near his best friend and watching him with curious eyes.

"We haven't even gotten on the train yet!" Gray laughed, poking fun at the usually boisterous and fearless pink haired dragon slayer that was being reduced to a puking idiot at the mere sight of a train.

Lucy looked back at her partner and knew there was nothing to worry about, but couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She shook her head, mumbling something like "Stupid Natsu", and made her way to the designated train next to Erza with Gray pulling Natsu not too far behind.

* * *

"Natsu, we're done moving; you can stop swaying and acting like you're going to die anytime now," Lucy chastised lightly, a smiled on her face. Gray and Erza laughed beside her while said man grumbled and put his arms across his chest.

"Very funny, Luce," He muttered, still not happy with the "after travel" banter between his teammates.

"Oh, come on, have a sense of humor!" Lucy covered her mouth, trying to hide the giggles on her lips. Natsu stayed silent, which was odd considering it was _Natsu, _and he shifted his pack, ignoring them completely. The blond pursed her lips in thought. What was wrong with him? If their taunts bothered him, why didn't he say something? Why hadn't Gray or Erza picked up on any of this? Or was she just paranoid?

She shook her head, thinking, _You're just being silly. Nothing's wrong, really. If it were, someone else would have noticed and said something about it. _She felt for her keys on her belt and the instant that the cool metal brushed her fingertips, a comforting feeling rushing through her for a brief moment. Still, the strange feeling that something was off wouldn't leave her.

Lucy's eyes glazed over in thought as Erza continued to lead the group toward their destination. After a few minutes of silence, they arrived at the forest at the base of the mountains. The trees appeared to stretch into infinity as they neared them and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. She noticed Erza stop, stiffening as she formed a tight fist with her hand.

"Erza?" Gray asked, knowing that something must be amiss if Erza had changed her demeanor so suddenly.

"We keep going. That village is depending on us to remove their curse and rid them of the demons," She said with a monotonous voice and hard eyes. Lucy glanced at Natsu, a smirk on his face at the sign of possible danger and adventure. She could have laughed out loud had it not been for the fact that there was an unshakable feeling of impending doom looming over the group.

She knew she hadn't been imagining things now that everyone else had affirmed her suspicions. However, saying "I told you so" didn't seem appropriate.

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NOTES. Geez. This is gonna be angst-y and I'm not even sure where it all came from. It was originally inspire by "Heavy in Your Arms" by Florence + the Machine but WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? I don't even know. smh. All well. I know this isn't much, but it's just the introduction to the story. I'm thinking this is going to end up being around 10 chapters or so. The others will be longer (maybe around 4 or 5000 words). I'll update again probably in about two weeks! Until then, loves!

REVIEWS ARE LOVED Y'ALL.


	2. Chapter 2

NOTES. Thanks for the first few reviews! Read on my lovelies!

Song of the week: "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver

Still disclaimed.

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Have you ever had that feeling of your life flashing before your eyes? Or maybe your world being taken right from under you? Or better yet, your heart being ripped brutally from your chest?

Because Natsu experienced all that and more as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Vomit rose in the back of his throat and he clenched his fists. He tried to move, urging any and all muscles to flex, twitch, _something. _His neck snapped up at the sound of a few trees breaking and a body falling lifelessly to the ground.

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56 Hours, 12 Minutes, 47 Seconds Earlier

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The team trekked through the forest, the trees hiding them from the sun's hot rays but not the intense heat and humidity of the atmosphere. Lucy pulled and tugged at her hair, attempting to get it to flatten against her head. After realizing that she had failed miserably, she resulted in pulling it up into a pony tail of sorts. She glanced at her teammates, wondering how they were coping with the immense heat wave. Natsu was hardly affected because he's a fire mage, Gray had stripped down to his boxers, and Erza still wore her armor proudly.

Lucy sighed.

They had started out the morning still weary of the ominous feeling that they had all felt the previous day. Natsu seemed to be back to normal though, picking fights with Gray every so often and forcing Erza to pull them apart before they destroyed the entire forest. Lucy stayed behind, quietly observing the trio and attempting to piece together what each of them knew that she didn't. While making breakfast, Erza had avoided answering any questions she had about the forest. When packing her things, Gray wouldn't even acknowledge anything that she had said. Now, as they continued on their makeshift path towards whatever Godforsaken village they were going to, Natsu refused to make eye contact with her. In fact, he hadn't said a single word to her since she had joked about his motion sickness.

Odd, she thought, twisting her head to sneak a quick glance at the fire mage. His eyes were glued forward, hands clenched slightly, as he trudged along with the rest of the group. Lucy knew that something was wrong, but what?

She wiped sweat from her brow and grabbed her canteen that swung slightly at her hip. Lucy suddenly wondered when they would reach this doomed village. She took a swig of the water, loving the feeling of something cool against her parched throat. Stopping for a brief moment, she braced herself against a wide tree. The other went on, not noticing her pause.

Black spotted her vision and she pressed her palm against her forehead. There was no fever that she could sense and she didn't feel sick in the slightest; so what was happening? She reached for her pack, wanting some food even though she didn't feel hungry. Her hand loomed over the zipper, but before she opened it, she spun around. The paranoia was getting to her, she noted.

She reached for her bag and before she could blink, a scream erupted from her throat as an inky black figure appeared before her.

She stumbled back into the tree, her breath leaving her lungs. Her hands shook when she tried to grab her keys from their holster. The figure swung what she assumed to be its arm and Lucy took the chance to dodge. A slight gasp escaped her lips as it caught her upper arm. She tumbled to the ground and pulled her wipe from her side, hoping it would be of some aid.

Before she got the chance to use it, however, a large sword sliced through the dark figure, forcing it to separate and reemerge a few feet away. Natsu landed beside her with Happy on his tail and picked her up in his arms as Gray and Erza hunted after the figure.

Natsu ran, gripping Lucy closely to his chest. She knew that he wanted to chase after whatever it was that had surprised her and wondered what was keeping him from doing so. Happy flew beside them, eyeing the couple with a scheming look in his eyes.

"You didn't have to do that," the blond said, poking him in the chest, "I had everything under control!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Luce," He said lightly, craning his neck to see if they were far away enough from the commotion to stop.

"I swear! I had my whip and everything. Besides, I would have called Loke or Scorpio, hell, I'd call Aquarius if I really, really needed the help,"

"Whatever, you weirdo," He smirked, coming to a quick stop and setting Lucy down gently. She muttered a quiet "thank you" and stepped away. She ran a hand through her knotted locks, gazing out to see how Erza and Gray were fairing. It was then that Natsu noticed the black marks on her arm, mixing slightly with blood. Without a second thought, he reached out to grip her arm, being careful not to hurt her.

"Natsu, what-"

"You're hurt," He said, eyes focusing on what Lucy thought was a rather miniscule cut compared to various other things that she, and the others, had been through over the years of jobs. He blinked, quickly released her, and changed the tense atmosphere by saying, "Geez, Luce, we've barely done anything yet and you've already managed to get hurt,"

Natsu forced a chuckled, noticing the way that she eyed him skeptically before she spoke, "Yeah, silly me,"

It was quiet then, as they shifted awkwardly and waited for Erza and Gray to return. Happy fought the urge to laugh.

* * *

"We'll break here," Erza spoke, breaking the seemingly perpetual silence that hadn't risen from the group for the duration of the morning and mid-afternoon. Natsu and Gray both nodded solemnly.

Lucy rubbed her arm, wiping off some of the blood and black ink in the process. She could feel Natsu's stare as she moved towards a large rock where she could be seated. The blond tried to ignore the penetrating gaze, but couldn't shake her fear of constantly being watched.

She sighed, watching as they each found a tree stump or rock to rest on, tired from the several hours of travel. Happy landed beside Natsu, waiting for the next move. Food emerged from one of Erza's many bags as she ate patiently, scoping the area for any sign of more trouble. They had yet to speak of the morning's incident, but no one had the courage to bring it up. Until...

"So what now?" Gray asked, dressed, once again, in his shorts and a light t-shirt. He took a swig of his own canteen and glanced eagerly between Natsu, Erza, and Lucy, "No plan then, huh?" Gray smirked, secretly hoping Erza or Lucy, hell, even Natsu, would respond and have a clue of what was happening.

"Isn't it obvious? We keep going," Erza said monotonously.

"What about when we get to the village? There's a curse and demons and shit!" Gray cried out, which Lucy thought was odd considering if he would pick a fight with anyone, it would never be Erza.

"You knew what you signed up for, Gray; we all did," the red-haired woman spoke again, eyes like daggers as she continued, "Now, I know that something is wrong here in the forest, but we agreed to this. We will do our best to fix whatever it is that needs fixing, but until then, we move to the village and attempt to gather as much information as possible,"

Gray nodded, unsure of what else he could possibly say. He was no coward, and always looking to one-up Natsu, but there was a certain point that he would need to draw the line.

The only remaining question was, when would he draw it?

It was a scratch this time, but what next? Whatever it was that had attacked Lucy was dangerous; any fool could see that. So what would become of them when they finally reach the village?

* * *

It was nearly nightfall when they stopped again. Erza gripped the hilt of her sword cautiously as she scanned the surroundings. She had been on edge since the random attack on Lucy and had yet to let her guard down. With a wave of her hand, she assured the others that there was nothing to fear for the time being. Even with Natsu and Erza's keen senses on high alert, no one was sure of their safety.

"Make camp quickly; we won't stay put for long," Erza said sternly, "Before the sun rises, we will be on our way,"

Gray nodded, pulling his shirt off without a second thought and wiping his brow stained with sweat. He sat down beside Natsu and sighed.

"When do you think we'll reach the village?" Lucy asked, rubbing her still black arm. It seemed to have spread down a few centimeters and a mild red rash had appeared. She was grateful of her small cap sleeves of her pink shirt for covering the wound; she didn't want to worry her friends.

"Early morning, noon at the latest," Erza mumbled, pulling some food from her pack and instructing Natsu to get a fire going between bites.

Lucy nodded, noticing the silence that still engulfed the camp. Natsu lit a fire with a quick breath and leaned back against a tree trunk. His brown eyes gazed longingly at the fire as he ran a frustrated hand through pink locks. He glanced eagerly between Lucy, Gray, Erza and Happy, who curled up beside him. It had been far too quiet during the trip for his liking, but even he had picked up on the tension of the situation. Of course, he hadn't wanted to say anything about it out of fear of Erza, but now the ever-impending silence was driving him mad.

"So, uh," Natsu tried, a slight smile on his lips as he attempted to lighten the mood, "What's the game plan, Erza?"

"We do not know many of the details yet, so we will devise a plan once we arrive and assess the situation," Erza said seriously even though her mouth was full cake.

"Right, right, but wouldn't it be better just to go kill all the demon things and 'assess' later?" He said, playing the fool yet again. He heard Gray snort beside him.

"You can't be serious!" Gray laughed, "Are you really that stupid?"

Natsu clenched his fists, eyes ablaze. _Bingo, _Natsu thought, _finally some normalcy, _"I'm not the stupid one here, ice face!"

"Could've fooled me! Have you ever thought before you spoke, fire breath?" Gray fumed, still not catching on to the fire mage's little game. He stood from his place on the rock, challenging his friend to speak further. Erza ate her cake in silence, ready to jump in at a moment's notice, while Lucy slapped her lam against her forehead.

"It'd be more fun my way! And a hell of a lot quicker, too,"

"Did you forget that they got the jump on Lucy? These things, whatever they are, aren't easy to just go kill, dipshit," Gray's face was serious as he spoke, clearly not taking this mission lightly. He knew the implications of what might happen to them, and it was getting to him. The danger, the stress, everything.

Gray was no coward, but things were getting serious.

Natsu balked at his friend, fists unclenching and eyes widening.

"Gray, I'm fine; whatever it was caught me off guard, but I could've handled it, you know it," Lucy said, wanting them to just _shut up_. She was finally getting used to the silence and didn't want to see them fighting. She was surprised to still see Erza perched on her stump. Her eyes seemed glazed over as if she were oblivious to the scene unfolding in front of her.

Gray was silent then. He resumed his position on the rock and rubbed his temples to calm his forming headache. Natsu fell to the ground, unsure of what to make of what had just happened. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but was unsuccessful. Lucy, noting his distress, motioned him over to her place by the fire. He went, reluctantly.

"You sure have a way with words," the blond chastised lightly, punching his arm as soon as he had sat down. He scoffed, punching her back and effectively knocking her down. She winced, but tried not to show it as a bubbly laugh escaped her lips, "You're such an ass sometimes,"

"And you, Luce, are always a weirdo," He laughed, deep and throaty, as Happy came and pounced on Lucy.

It was the first time in what seemed like eternity that they had some fun.

* * *

_"You can't win; you're not strong enough," A blurred figure cackling shrilly. _

_"You're not good enough," Another voice sounded, clearly feminine._

_"You can hardly fight. Why are you here?" A third purred. What was happening? Lucy could only wonder._

_"We don't need you; you're useless and pathetic trash," A final voice laughed. The figures came closer, clearing their features in the process. A red-haired, armored woman. A tall, shirtless, raven haired man. A flying blue cat. A strong, pink haired dragon slayer. _

_"You don't deserve to call yourself a member of our guild," Erza spoke, her voice sharp and condescending. She clapped her hands and Lucy found herself strapped to a chair. Her heart pounded loudly enough that she was sure the others could hear. She felt her breath leave her lungs in a short gasp and she was unsure what would happen next. _

_"You don't deserve to be a member of our team," Gray said, crossing his arms over his chest as Happy landed on his shoulder, smiling evilly. He motioned to Natsu to come forward and held a small danger out for him. Lucy swallowed, a small ball forming in her throat and the words she wanted to scream drowning in the little hope she had just lost. _

_"And you don't deserve to live," Natsu said monotonously, eyes dark and filled with some mixture of emotion Lucy had never thought capable of him. She struggled against her bindings as he inched closer. _

_He raised his arm, dagger in hand and aflame._

_A scream erupted from her throat as he plunged the fiery danger into her heart._

The dream had been all too real as she jerked awake. She sat up, her body shaking whether out of fear or the coldness of the night, she wasn't sure. Her brown eyes widened as she glanced back and forth between her sleeping teammates. Natsu snored loudly next to a purring Happy as Gray laid sprawled across the ground. Erza look up from her post, brow raised.

"Something wrong, Lucy?" She asked, eyes piercing through the darkness as she looked around the campsite for some danger that she might have missed.

She choked back a sob, thinking _Oh, no, just that I had a dream you all attacked me and one of you killed me. Not a big deal. Nothing to worry about. _However, after rubbing her eyes free of tears, she muttered, "Just a dream,"

Erza eyes her curiously, but didn't press the matter. She, of course, seemed to have picked up on when to push matters and when to leave things be. The red-haired woman nodded and silence continued once again.

Lucy knew that she would not be getting any more sleep that night.

* * *

"Good morning, Lucy!" Happy cried, pouncing on the unprepared girl. She gasped, throwing him off of her chest in an instant. The blond mumbled a short apology and rubbed her bloodshot eyes. Happy stared at her as she stood, wondering what was the matter but knowing better than to go against Lucy in the morning. Erza cocked and eyebrow at the blond who simply shrugged in response, not yet ready to speak of her dreams.

"We'll head east from here," Erza said, nodding in their general destination as the others packed their bags. The fire had been put out, the area cleaned, and they were ready to head towards the village. Gray tied his pants around his waist before slinging his pack over his shoulders.

"Ready when you are," He muttered, looking between Natsu and Lucy with Happy buzzing overhead. The fire mage beamed beside a timid-looking Lucy. She gripped her upper arm and shivered, taking a step away from her partner. The blond knew that it had just been a dream; she knew that she could trust Natsu with her life and had on many occasions. So why was she so afraid?

Natsu poked her, pulling her away from her thoughts and laughed, "C'mon, Luce, let's get going,"

A lump formed in her throat as she swallowed back tears. She had a very, very, very bad feeling about this.

* * *

"You must be from Fairy Tail," A voice greeted them as a figure came out from behind a cluster of trees. Since they were nearing their destination, Lucy assumed that this man was the mayor or chief or head of something and was in need of help.

"Mr. Yagami I presume?" Erza asked, gripping the hilt of her sword ever so slightly as she approached the man. She gave him a once over, assessing his elderly figure and balding head. Harmless, she determined.

"Yes, yes, and I've heard about you, Erza Scarlet. A fierce fighter and cunning strategical mind. Natsu Dragoneel, a dragon slayer and determination beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Gray, Ultear's apprentice and a strong ice mage in his own right. Happy, the exceed. Lucy Heartfilia, heiress and one of few celestial wizards," the old man spoke, his voice hoarse from years of wear and tear. His eyes were wide with admiration and reverence, his small frame shaking as he continued, "and you all came to help! You, of all people, must certainly be able to raise the curse from this wretched place, surely!"

Natsu smiled with Happy mimicking his actions on his shoulders. Gray and Lucy shared a similar fear of whatever this mission was as Erza continued talking to the old man as they grew closer and closer to the village. When they could see the outline of the barrier, Natsu took off running, eager for a comfortable place to sleep after the nights in the woods and long trek up the mountain.

Lucy scoffed, but hurried after him. As she neared the entrance, she noticed the sign.

_Beware: Oni Village_

Well, that was certainly something else, Lucy thought as she entered the gates. She noticed Gray fall into step beside her and instantly felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. You're not alone in this, she had to keep telling herself, Whatever this is.

Gray nudged her shoulder, silently asking if she was doing all right. She rubbed her shoulder out of instinct but nodded nonetheless. She was sure that she looked a mess, what with the little sleep she had gotten the previous night and not having the proper accommodations in the woods. Even if the village was cursed, they at least had to have indoor plumbing.

Right?

* * *

NOTES. Goodness gracious! That felt like a lot, but I'm happy with the way the story is turning out (I hope you are too). So the official update schedule will be every two weeks (more or less). Sorry that this one took so long to get out butbutbut! I hope you all enjoyed this installment and I look forward to hearing your comments and criticism!

REVIEW POR FAVOR.


	3. Chapter 3

NOTES. A big thanks to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, and followed the story so far! It's greatly appreciated and I'm always ready to hear from the readers to get any tips on how I can improve the story. Also - the snippets ARE going to happen within a few chapters, but I'm running out of material to write without giving too much away. You'll have to deal with quotes this chapter. Also, also - Happy is mostly absent through the story as you'll come to see, but he'll play a much bigger part later!

Song of the week: "Wherever You Will Go" cover by Charlene Soraia

Onto chapter 3!

AND. Still disclaimed.

* * *

"I can't just wait here and let you get yourselves killed trying to save this goddamn village!" She shook her head solemnly, "That's not what being a part of this team means."

"We'll come back, I promise," His inky black eyes were filled with sincerity, promising her the world in that very moment, "We will find a way to fix this too," He reached for her, worry clear in his face. She backed away slowly, fearing for his life given the current situation. She couldn't risk it.

Not him.

Not Natsu.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock._

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41 Hours, 53 Minutes, 32 Seconds Earlier

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Lucy stretched as she listened to the briefing. Erza paced about the small room while absorbing every bit of information that Mr. Yagami said. Mr. Yagami had been kind enough to allow them to stay in their nicest inn without charge; however, with it being a cursed village, the nicest room of any place consisted of a cot, small sink, and a single lamp with a sometimes burnt out light bulb.

Natsu sat beside her, Happy perched on his shoulder, as he tapped his foot absent-mindedly. He had tried to focus on whatever mumbo jumbo was being said, really he did. His thoughts were elsewhere, however. He wondered how they (he) was going to be able to fight off the demons. He didn't want any of the them to get hurt; he couldn't risk it. The fire mage had thought that it would be an easy task. Now, it was anything but. Natsu ran a frustrated hand through his pink locks and sighed, drawing a brief glance of worry from the blond beside him.

He shook his head, hoping that she would understand his message of 'I'm fine'. Lucy knew him better than anyone, so he wasn't exactly surprised to see her shake her head back at him, knowing that he was far from normal. She motioned toward the door and the pair stood, leaving Erza and Gray to try and formulate a plan.

Natsu put on his usual smile as soon as the door was shut behind them, "What's up, Luce?"

"Why don't you tell me?" She murmured, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't-" He started, but was quickly cut off.

"Stop with the bullshit. Seriously. If you know something about all of this, please, do tell," She waved her hands for dramatic effect, eyes hard.

"Don't know what you want me to tell you," He mumbled, black eyes finding a particularly uninteresting spot on the floor to avoid her harsh gaze. Lucy was becoming more and more frustrated by the second. She knew that she shouldn't be the one to press the matter if, in fact, there was nothing bothering him. On the other hand, if there was something vital to the job that Natsu was keeping from her, she wanted to know.

Always the hypocrite, aren't you? She thought, her hand moving to her arm seemingly of its own accord.

"Fine," Lucy whispered, "That's just...fine." The blond turned on her heel and went back into the hotel room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

She missed the way his eyes softened at her pained expressions, at the sight of her leaving him. She missed the way he sighed, certainly frustrated with himself. She had no idea.

What was he supposed to tell her? That he had an idea about what was happening? That he possibly knew the only way to stop it?

No, he wouldn't burden her with that.

He was too kind, too protective, too Natsu.

* * *

Erza paced, her fingers strumming against her chin as she thought. Mr. Yagami had been more than a little helpful when it came to explaining the history of the demons. They had originally came to the village more than a year ago, bringing devastation and torment in their wake. None of the villagers had been sure exactly how they came to be, but were frightened nonetheless. Many left the village to attempt to escape the demons.

News of their deaths reached the village no more than three days after they had left.

Erza posed the question, then, of why? Clearly something would have had to conjure them to form a sort of barrier around the village and the forest. Otherwise, the spirits would have reached nearby towns and spread like wildfire. So why were they only in the village? Why were they brought?

She scratched behind her ear, pensive as she tapped her foot against the wooden floor of the room. She was glad that Gray, Natsu, Lucy and Happy had gone to eat so that she could think in peace. In moments when she knew the boy would end up fighting, she was even grateful for the silence. Erza shook her head of the thoughts in the attempt to focus on the task at hand.

She had never been this stumped. What was so different about this time?

There had to have been some clue, some sign that she had overlooked. She had to have missed something.

With a sudden idea, she hurried over to the pile of folders with any record dealing with the demons that Mr. Yagami had left her. Her fingers flicked through the papers with ease, eyes scanning every word, as she absorbed the information again.

Suddenly, she stopped, frozen on the spot with her mouth slightly open.

_Ms. Kimiko Yamado_

_Age: 78_

_Date of Birth: July 7, X715_

_Status: __unknown_

_Occupation: unknown_

_Location: unknown_

_Ms. Kimiko Yamado was last seen on December 12, X792. It has been assumed that she was taken captive by the spirits that plague the village the first day that they invaded. She has no family to be alerted. Her home has been foreclosed. _

_There are currently no other records of Ms. Yamado. _

How could she have been so stupid? Erza chastised herself, slapping her palm against her forehead. How could she have missed this? This woman, this Kimiko, was the only person to be taken captive.

There were _never_ survivors.

So what, exactly, was the link that kept her alive? Erza, with a fierce fire burning in her eyes, was determined to find out.

* * *

Lucy sighed, patting her stomach and laying down on the cot with relief. The dinner had been more than enough to fill her up. She had left Gray and Natsu at the buffet (or whatever was left of it) and decided that it was her time to relax. She washed her face with the warm tap water from the sink and readied herself for bed. Of course, being Lucy, she wouldn't actually go to bed but work on her novel. Naturally, she carried a pen and notebook everywhere she went, life or death situation or not.

The blond beauty examined herself in the broken mirror. Cautiously, she lifted up the sleeve of her t-shirt, eyes wide with wonder. The demon that had attacked her had certainly left its mark, she thought. Her fingers ran over the surface of her normally smooth skin, feeling each of the black bumps that had formed over the course of the day. The ink-like designs lined her upper arm and part of her shoulder now.

Perhaps tomorrow she would tell Erza. Perhaps.

Lucy sighed, angered with herself for being helpless yet again. She dragged her feet to the cot sluggishly, her systems ready to shut down for the day. Lucy had just settled with her ballpoint pen in hand when there was a light knock on the door.

Groaning slightly, she moved to open it and was surprised to find Mr. Yagami, dressed in his footed duck patterned pajamas, at the door. She stifled a laugh as she said, "Can I help you?"

"Actually, yes," He started, "I was wondering if you'd seen Mr. Dragneel and Mr. Fullbuster?" His eyes widened, hopeful, as she thought. It was in that moment that she noticed the three armored guards that he had brought with him, occupying the majority of the hall. She was curious now, but tried to convince herself that it was simply a precaution in case of a demon attack. She didn't miss the way all three of them watched her every movement skeptically. Did they really think she was a threat?

"They're probably still at the buffet," Lucy mumbled before saying a quick goodnight and moving to shut the door. A foot was in the way of it completely closing and allowing her to return to her writing, "Excuse me, but what-"

"Your arm," Mr. Yagami said in a deep, booming voice as he thrust the door open and ricocheted it off the stopper. He caught it with a firm hand as he fixed his gaze on Lucy's offending limb. She backed up, clearly startled. He moved quicker than she had anticipated and grabbed her with meaty fingers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She cried, attempting to jerk her arm away from him. With a quick movement of his free hand, Mr. Yagami motioned for the guards to hold her down as he assessed her. He rolled the sleeve of her t-shirt up, revealing the textured skin underneath. Lucy fought, struggling to get herself free, but before she could yell for help, an armored hand covered her mouth. The metal pinched her skin, infuriating her more.

"Seize her keys," Mr. Yagami said simply, voice laced with venom, as Lucy's eyes widened, "Lock her up and keep her quiet. We need to run tests to be sure," The guards moved without hesitation, gripping her arms tightly before handcuff-ing her, arms secured behind her back. Her keys were pulled off of her belt and pocketed by one of the guards. She kept flailing her legs in the hope that she could do something, anything, and maybe escape. Her movements were futile as guard removed his hand from her mouth to pinch the skin at her neck.

She didn't even have time to scream before the darkness overwhelmed her.

* * *

Natsu laid on his cot, arms outstretched on the thin sheets with Happy napping silently beside him. He had just returned from the buffet with Gray, but felt hungry again. Of course, when wasn't he hungry? He chuckled lightly to himself, not wanting to wake the sleeping Exceed at his side. Never one for liking the quiet, Natsu flipped over onto his stomach and knocked on the wall behind the cot, waiting eagerly for a response.

A hard knock was heard along with a muffled "Go to bed, dumbass" from Gray.

Natsu couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips. It had been a long day, and after mulling it over, he decided that he needed something to smile about. The dragon slayer stood and made his way to the other wall, hoping that the occupier of the other room adjacent to his own would still be awake. He rapped his knuckles against the paper-thin walls just to see if he would get a reaction.

"Luce?" He asked as he put his ear against the cool wall, "You up?" Surely, he thought, there would have been some noise. Hell, sometimes she even snores!

With a face contorted in confusion, Natsu knocked again. Still, there was no reaction, no sound, no nothing. Natsu tried to stay positive and calm as he headed for his door. He pulled it open with a swift movement and knocked on Lucy's door before entering. His eyes widened at the site. The light was still on and a pen and notebook lay strewn on the small bed. There was no sign of Lucy.

_Calm be damned_, he thought, racing out of the room and straight into Gray's.

"Have you seen Lucy?" Natsu asked, worry hidden in his voice. Gray sat up, revealing a shirtless torso, and rubbed his eyes to try to shield them from the light.

"No, not since we ate. Why? Lost your girlfriend already?" Gray mocked, a smirk forming on the edge of his mouth despite his tiredness.

Natsu was unfazed by his remark, but shook his head anyway, "No, she's just not in her room. She left her light on and everything,"

"Did you ask Erza?" The ice mage sighed, hoping that this was just a prank and Natsu was just stupid.

"I haven't seen her either," The pink haired man said.

"Well, find her and ask, stupid. In fact, Lucy's probably with her,"

"No," Natsu shook his head again, frown forming, "You don't get it. She left her notebook out, Gray. Her _notebook_!"

Gray's eyes widened. For one, Natsu never used his real name unless it was serious. It was normally Ice Breath, Ice Face, Stupid, Dumbass, etc. Thoughts and memories flooded through his mind. Lucy had never, in the many years that he had known her, ever left her notebook out for other people to read. Normally, he or Natsu would have to search for it to be able to see what she had written about them. It was usually just a game for them. Now, Gray wasn't so sure.

Gray rose from his bed without a second thought.

* * *

Erza walked briskly through the small village. The cool night air felt refreshing to her after the long day. Her eyes darted left and right, looking for any sign of movement, any sign of people that would be able to help her in her search. Most of the lights in the village homes were off, she noted, and it was barely ten o'clock. As she neared each of the houses, she lights went out, one by one, until the entire street was out.

For a village wanting their help, they certainly weren't willing to offer their services in exchange.

Finally, she saw a rather large house with its lights still on. She ran without thinking, her feet carrying her far and fast. Her hand was on the door, pounding loudly against the old wood, before she knew it. There was shuffling on the inside followed by muffled voices. Erza, being curious, pressed her ear to the door for better hearing.

The voices stopped and the door knob was opened instantaneously.

"Mr. Yagami," Erza spoke, clearly surprised to find the leader of the village at this place. It made sense, she thought, that he would have the biggest house. Yet something seemed off, "May I come in? I have questions pertaining to the d-"

"No. Goodnight, Ms. Scarlet," He said abruptly, shutting the door firmly in her face. Erza was quick to respond, though, and had her hand turning the knob before he got the chance to secure the lock.

"You misunderstand me, sir," She hissed, eyes rimmed with fire, "I have questions that need answering," She pushed the door open without much effort, sending Mr. Yagami stumbling backwards into the nearest wall.

"Ms. Scarlet, please, it's gotten late," He begged, raising his hands to his face in case she become furious. He had heard about her infamous fury and didn't want to take any chances, "May we speak tomorrow?"

"Tonight would be preferable seeing as you would like my team to be rid of the demons as soon as we possibly can," She stated, crossing her arms over her armored chest. Her tone remained unwavering as she spoke, holding her ground.

"Fine, fine. What can I answer for you?" He asked, eyes darting to an area behind the door and back to the lethal woman standing before him, "Perhaps we can speak outside?" He stepped forward, moving to push Erza out the door, but she refused to budge.

"This is confidential information. Inside would be better," She glared at him, turning him back to the direction of the main floor of the home. She noticed him release a deep sigh as they walked into what she assumed to be the living room. She scanned the area, wondering what could be causing his distress and anxiety.

"What can I help you with?" Mr. Yagami asked, pleasant as ever as he invited her to sit on a rather large sofa that seemed to take up most of the room. She sat gratefully, but still remained cautious.

"I've looked through the records that you provided me with and I was curious if you knew more on one person in particular," She began, her tone business like as always. She continued to scan her surroundings, noticing that the man before her grew more anxious with each new place she looked. He hid the anxiety well, but being Erza, she _knew _something was wrong, "Ms. Kimiko Yamado,"

"Ah, yes, old Kimiko," He ran a subtly shaking hand through his graying locks, "She was a crazy old bat, that woman,"

"Do you know anything about her?" Erza asked, suddenly on edge and eager for more information, "Do you know if she had any friends or close people that could tell me more about her?"

"I'm afraid not. Kimiko was the kind of person who didn't like attachments. She was crazy, as I said, and the villagers tried to stay away from her,"

"There was no one who-," Erza stopped in the middle of her sentence, eyes transfixed on a small item that had been illuminated in the light of the room. To be more precise, a set of keys. A set of keys that looked all too familiar, "Mr. Yagami, why, pray tell, do you have my friend's keys?" Her voice was hard, unforgiving.

"I don't know what-"

"Those keys over there. They belong to my friend and you have them. Why?"

"Those? Oh, those are my wife's she must have left them down here while she-" He was cracking under the pressure. Erza wanted to smile at his discomfort.

"Mr. Yagami, you've never mentioned having a wife," She said, so low and so menacing that Mr. Yagami's blood ran cold. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Erza was on her feet in an instant, gripping the offending man by the collar and ramming him against the wall behind them. The first time his back hit the cool surface, a picture that had been hung had fallen. The second time, a crack formed as pain seared up his spine.

_Well_, he thought, _this wasn't good_.

"Why are you in possession of a celestial mage's keys?" Erza roared, eyes ablaze, "What have you done with her?" Her grip on his collar tightened and he felt his lungs constrict violently.

"I'm preventing another demon," He gasped out, black spots dotting his vision now.

"And what the hell does that mean?" The redhead cocked an eyebrow, challenging him to continue, but clamped a hand to his mouth before he could continue. There were a few seconds of muffled voices before the front door was thrown open, almost completely taken off its hinges.

"Have you seen- oh, Erza, hi!" Natsu beamed, "You haven't seen Lucy have you?" He asked as Gray followed behind him into the living room. They seemed not to notice Mr. Yagami pressed firmly against the wall nor the broken glass or large crack that cascaded down it.

"You're just in time actually. I was just about to find that out for myself," Erza said, loosening her grip on Mr. Yagami's collar and tossing him back onto the couch, "Now talk," She removed her hand from his mouth, but her threatening voice made him fearful. So he did the only thing he knew how.

"Guards!" Which was call for help. Naturally, five armored men came rushing in from the outside and three more from a basement door. They raised their guns, aiming directly at Natsu, Gray and Erza. It was not five seconds later that Gray had effectively frozen four of the them and Natsu had knocked the other half out. Guns were strewn about the floor while Mr. Yagami stood gaping at the scene. Erza hadn't batted an eye before she turned from her partners and concentrated her rage of the older man.

"Where. Is. Lucy," She said through gritted teeth. Gray and Natsu moved closer, waiting for a response.

"I said before that I was preventing another demon," This time, he spoke with no fear in his voice, "That's all you need to know,"

"Like hell!" Natsu roared, starting after the old man but stopped in his tracks by Erza's armored arm. Gray's eyes darkened, waiting and calculating.

"I can't say anything else! She's putting everyone in danger!" He cried, flailing his arms in the hope that they would understand, "The tests we ran, they said that-"

"You did _what_?" Natsu's eyes widened to the size of saucers. His fists formed, body shaking as he tried to control his anger, to control the urge to rip Mr. Yagami to a million pieces. With each passing second, it was becoming harder and harder.

"We believed that she was possessed by one of _them_. We need to be sure and running tests was the only way!" The older man defended his actions.

"She's not an animal! You have no right to test her!" Gray shouted, fighting the same fight as Natsu. No one was allowed to do that to any of his Nakama. Nobody.

"You don't understand, you fools! She's being controlled! They've infected her! They've got a hold on her now and there's no turning back! I took her keys to protect everyone from her celestial spirits if she chose to unleash them on us. We had to contain it before-"

"Lucy would never-"

"You contained her?!"

"You bastards!" The trio of teammates cried.

"You must continue the mission without her. The only way the save her is to defeat the demons. Even then, I cannot promise her safety," Mr. Yagami said, shaking his head sadly.

"I don't think I understand what you're asking of us, Mr. Yagami," Erza said, a questioning yet furious look in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her armored chest and glanced between her teammates and their charge, "We've been sent to remove the curse, yes?" It took all of the control she could muster to not lash out at this man for taking her friend against her will.

"Why, yes, of course, Ms. Scarlet," the elder man nodded, "But still the girl-"

"And you have information on ways to draw out the offending demons, correct?"

"How do you know-"

"I'll take that as a yes," Erza said, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword and continuing, "Regardless of your superstitions against demonic possessions or infections, we will deal with the demons our way. Lucy will be joining us because she is a member of this team and a member of Fairy Tail. She will assist on this mission whether you like it or not," Erza hissed, eyes sharpened to dagger-like ovals, as she inched closed and closer to the old man. Behind her, Gray cracked his knuckles while Natsu growled.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Mr. Yagami said sadly, "She is a danger to the village and could infect the people,"

"If you want our assistance, you will release Lucy, or we will take her by force and be on our way," Erza's eyes flashed threatening as the three surrounded the old man. Knowing now that he was out of options, Mr. Yagami handed over the keys to Lucy's containment cell.

He only hoped that they knew what they were doing.

* * *

NOTES. I feel like it's been forever since I've done anything, but I hope you enjoyed this installment! I made it extra-long just because I can, butttttt things are really heating up!

Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you think!

KBYE.


	4. Chapter 4

NOTES. Ah, another two weeks and here we are! It's a little late, but welcome to the fourth installment of _countdown!_ I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, and please, if you have any comments, questions or concerns, don't hesitate to drop a review or PM me!

Song of the week: Collide by Howie Day

AND. Still disclaimed. sadface.

* * *

His black eyes widened, tears brimming at the edges and threatening to fall any moment now. He glanced at his hands, covered in sticky red blood that didn't belong to him. Then again, when did it ever? This job, this career, always resulted in some sort of tragedy. He shook his head, pink locks falling into his vision. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to end like this.

With a heart-wrenching sob and a hoarse voice, he cried out her name.

He wished something would happen and willed for any sort of sign. There was nothing but silence.

And that scared him the most.

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35 hours, 42 minutes, and 7 seconds earlier

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_Suddenly, she was running. Her bare feet hit the hard frozen ground with each step. She could feel every new cut and bruise that formed with a harsh intensity. She pumped her arms, hoping to escape whatever monstrosity was currently chasing her. Daring a look over her shoulder was possibly the most risky thing that she had ever done, and that was saying a lot. Blond hair flowed behind her, knotted with debris of the trees of the forest, and she caught a glimpse of the shadow figure hot on her tail._

_Her lungs constricted; whether out of fear or fatigue, it didn't matter. She could hear her heart thumping wildly in her ears, but she tried not to pay any attention to it. She knew that she should focus on trying to make it out of whatever hell hole she had been dropped in alive and try to evade the demon as quickly as possible._

_The latter seemed quite unlikely as she glanced back again. This time, she found him-her-it? closing in on her position. She thrust her arms and legs forward, hoping to gain a little more distance. However, before she even took two strides, her foot caught on an unlevel root._

_Shit! Shit! Shit! She thought, rolling to the ground with an unladylike grunt, Just my luck!_

_Her hands were rubbed raw against the rough forest floor and knees bloodied as she tumbled. It took less than a few seconds, but that was enough._

_The black figure loomed above her broken body, menacing. Lucy's eyes widened as it raised its arms to come in for the kill. She used her own arms to protect her head and cursed herself for losing her keys in the unknown territory. Then, without a thought, she released a blood-curdling scream. With any luck, maybe someone, anyone, would hear her before it was too late. _

_She felt its calloused fingers pull her shielding arms from her face, leaving her vulnerable. Then, as if egging her on, they brush against her neck, agonizingly slow. Her eyes closed, and she just wished it would be over quickly. Sobs racked her body and she knew that this was it. This was going to be the end. _

_Goodbye, Erza, Gray, Happy and Natsu. It was fun while it lasted, she thought as she fisted her hands and waited for the final blow. Time seemed to freeze as she took a deep breath, waiting her demise. There was a sickening crunch before the shout of her name was heard._

_"LUCY!"_

And she jerked awake.

* * *

"Lucy!" Natsu bellowed, leaping down the flight of stairs with ease and entering the basement level of Mr. Yagami's home. He glanced around hurriedly, looking for his captive partner. His stomach lurched at the sight. It was dimly lit with beeping machines of all sorts centered around a small cage. A small cage that he hoped, for the sake of Mr. Yagami, didn't contain the blond he was searching for.

Erza and Gray hustled after him, watching with fierce stares as Natsu went to the cage. The fire mage discarded the key and proceeded to rip the door of the containment cell with brute force. Typical Natsu, Erza thought, almost smiling but decided against it given the gravity of the situation. Lucy had been taken against her will, and that was never something to laugh about.

"Lucy," Natsu whispered, trying to wake her as gently as her could. His black eyes hardened as he thought. He wasn't really sure what to think about her shriveled form stuck in the fetal position in the back of a cage, but at least she didn't look harmed. He reached a hand into the cell, brushing her arm with a warm, comforting hand, "Hey, Luce, you're okay now; you can wake up."

She twitched violently under the contact, eyes flashing open in surprise, "Don't-!" She said, pulling all of her limbs closer to her chest. Her bloodshot eyes widened, mouth agape as her back hit the cold metal of the cage.

"Stop being stupid, and let's get you out of here," Natsu said, reaching his hand out again, but waiting for her to take it this time.

She took a deep, shaky breath before nodding slightly. He noticed her eyes focus as she continued to process where she was and what had happened. He could feel her calculating gaze on him before crawling closer. Cold fingers gripped his own and he pulled her out of the cage in a fluid motion.

She stood on shaking limbs, nearly collapsing a few times as she inched away from the cage. Her head throbbed and she felt like she had been hit by a truck. What happened to her? She tried to think back on the last few hours, or what she assumed to only be a few hours as she was still in her pajamas. All she could remember was being in her room, ready to write, and Mr. Yagami coming to question her about Gray and Natsu's whereabouts. For any time she tried to think of after that, it felt like a jolt of electricity shot through her system. What had she missed?

Pulling out of her thoughts, she noticed Natsu hovering protectively behind her; Erza and Gray seemed so tightly wound that they would spring on her, ready to catch her if she fell at the moments notice.

"Are you all right?" Erza asked cautiously as she approached the pair. After an affirming nod from the Lucy, the red-head rushed forward and pulled her into a quick hug, continuing with, "What happened?"

There was a flash of something in the blond's eyes that Natsu couldn't quite place, but he didn't want to push it. Gray followed close behind Erza, still unsure of Lucy's present condition. He crossed his arms over his surprisingly still clothed chest and waited.

"I-I'm not sure," Lucy started, eyes darting back and forth across the room, never daring to make eye contact with her friends. She was conflicted and confused. Where was her memories of the past few hours? Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew that she should tell them what she thought had happened. Yet there was still something holding her back. But what? She had no idea, "I-I was in my room and h-he came and I-I don't know," She was near tears, that much Natsu could see.

He hated it, seeing her like this.

"It's okay, Lucy. We'll have Mr. Yagami tell us what his tests did to you and reverse whatever it was. Then we'll find the demons, defeat them, and go home. Sound good?" Erza consoled, using her lightest voice possible. The armored woman stepped away from her friend, moving to the staircase. She motioned for Natsu and Gray to follow in her wake, leaving Lucy to collect her thoughts of the past few hours.

Figures and items of all sorts flashed through her memory, most of which she had no actual recognition of. These things, these people, whoever and whatever they were, still remained a mystery. She was becoming more and more frustrated with each flash of a memory that didn't belong to her.

The sounds of shrill screams echoed in her mind. It was the last straw before she took off running after Natsu, Erza, and Gray, too scared to be on her own for the time being.

There was safety in numbers after all.

* * *

She felt uncomfortable, standing in the living room of Mr. Yagami. She bit at her nails, shifting awkwardly on her feet as Erza and the man that had apparently ran tests on her even though she had no recollection of them continued their conversation. She watched Natsu juggle fire balls between his hands, occasionally grunting whenever there was a comment or questioned posed to him. Gray, of course, was sleeping on the hard wood floor shirtless.

"Mr. Yagami, if you have any other information on the matter at hand, let us know as soon as possible," Erza said, eyes hard and skeptical as the older man smiled before her. She stood from her place on the couch, the glass from the earlier scuffle gone and long forgotten, "And don't you dare come near her again," The fiery red-head whispered, nodding toward Lucy.

After kicking Gray awake and pulling Natsu from his place on the floor, Lucy followed Erza to the door. Her knees still shook, head still pounded as thoughts rushed through her mind. Her hand was on the door, and she felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then -

"Do you want the results of your tests, Ms. Heartphilia?" Mr. Yagami said, a smirk adorning his face.

Lucy's heart stopped, eyes widening substantially as she moved to turn toward him and scream "no". A lump formed in her throat and she was rendered speechless. _What was happening?_ she wondered. She pressed her hand to her face, covering her eyes as more memories became unlocked at his words.

_"There's nothing we can do-"_

_"-process is already too far along,"_

_"-useless. Stupid, foolish, useless girl,"_

Natsu, glancing worriedly at the blond, noticed that she was in no condition to answer. Instead, he took it upon himself to say in a calm voice that was unlike him, "Lucy is _fine_. She always will be _fine. _Don't even think about telling her otherwise because your tests are such bullshit, I don't know why we even listen to anything you say!"

He didn't turn, didn't even move as he spoke. The fire mage did, however, see his friends inner distress and gripped her hand encouragingly. Lucy's eyes flashed open, meeting his. She was amazed, to say the least, at the fire burning in his eyes with such intensity that she had never seen within them. Natsu nodded solemnly, a small smile on his lips, and pulled her through the door to meet Erza and Gray.

He decided in that moment, Lucy's hand never leaving his, that it was time to get to the bottom of this demon hunt.

* * *

The cool midnight breeze formed goosebumps on her barely covered arms as she followed behind Erza on their way back to the hotel. Lucy pulled at her sleeves, trying to cover the growing black mark she knew was there. She could feel Gray's gaze on her, but didn't dare turn to face him. If she made any eye contact with her friends, she was sure that they would be able to see the madness unfolding in her mind. There were questions that she still wanted answered before she would be able to really fill them in on what was constantly running though her mind.

Besides, she had already put the success of the job at risk and didn't want to ruin anything else today. There was really no need to burden them with her problems anyway.

Gray shook his head, trying to ignore Lucy's odd behavior. He tried to play it off as just simple side-effects of whatever the hell she had gone through, but something in his mind urged him to talk to her, to break the silence that seemed to constantly follow them lately. He looked to Natsu, wondering if he had thought anything was out of the ordinary, but found him to be too preoccupied with trying to count the stars in the sky. The pink haired man stumbled once or twice, but continued nonetheless.

After a seemingly endless trek, the hotel was within view and the group believed that they would finally get their much needed sleep. It had been hours, wasted all on a simple man's foolish beliefs. Erza scoffed as the two males pushed passed her and raced toward their rooms. She heard a light laugh behind her and turned to see Lucy, beaming brightly. _This is good_, Erza thought, a small smile tugging at her lips too. Lucy's change in demeanor was always good. It had been decided a long time ago between the group, though never officially, that if one of them was unhappy, it was impossible for any of the others to be happy.

Lucy's smile faded upon hearing the slamming of two doors. She knew then, that the others would be asleep soon and now was her only chance to talk to Erza. She took a deep breath, calming herself.

"Are you coming, Lucy?" Erza asked, propping the front door to the hotel open with an armored arm.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a bit," The blond said, running a hand through her hand nervously.

"What's on your mind?"

"I-It's about the demons," She began, fingering her key ring out of habit, "When we first saw them, when they surprised me, I mean, I sort of-" She paused then and began to roll up the sleeve of her shirt to show the red-head what she wasn't able to say, "-got injured and they infected me. At least, I think that's what this is supposed to be."

Erza's eyes widened at the sight of the inky black, swollen skin. The infected area throbbed, oozing an air of mystery. It had grown substantially since Lucy remembered last examining it, but she figured that was just a side-effect of some sort. The blond noted Erza's questioning gaze and lack of comments on the matter and took that as a sign to cover the skin again.

"Please, Erza," Lucy begged, drawing her friend's attention from her infection to her again, "don't tell the others; I don't want them to worry,"

"Wh-what was that? Why didn't you tell me-us sooner! This is serious, Lucy!" Erza whispered harshly, not wanting to awaken her sleeping teammates and alert them to the situation per Lucy's request, "Was this why Mr. Yagami took you? This disease?"

"I couldn't! I didn't know what it was or what was happening! I'm fine, really,"

"If you say you're as fine as you think you are, then why tell me anyway?" Erza crossed her arms, ready for a damn good explanation.

"I wanted somebody to know. If something happens with the demons-" Lucy broke off, avoiding the red-head's curious eyes, "Well, now you know so it doesn't matter."

"Lucy-"

"Please, just don't tell them," Lucy finished, pushing past Erza and entering the hotel without a glance back. The older woman watched her friend close the door behind her, finalizing the end of the discussion. She was worried, that much was certain, but there was still no sure-fire way help Lucy. There was only one thing that Erza could think of, even if it was risky. With determination in her heart, the red-head took off running back the way she came.

It was then that Erza decided she would get to the bottom of this madness.

And it would start with Lucy's test results.

* * *

Gray shifted, rolling over in his uncomfortable cot. A light groan escaped his lips as the metal springs poked through the material and hit his bare back. Normally, he was able to sleep anywhere and in anything. What was so different about this place? _Oh, yeah_, Gray thought, _this bed sucks ass. _

He sat up and leaned against the cool wall. He rapped his knuckles on the paper-thin surface, listening for a reply from the most-likely asleep fire mage in the room next to him. What could he say? He was optimistic, if nothing else.

After a few moments, there was still no response. Gray sighed, knowing that it would be a long, long night. The ice mage was just about to lay back down on the lumpy cot when he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. He was on high alert instantly, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart.

"Hello?" He asked curiously, "Someone there?" There was, of course, no response. He figured that there wouldn't be, all things considered. Gray ran a hand through his dark hair and concluded that he had already dealt with enough worthless things today. He deserved some sleep, dammit!

He laid down, turning onto his side to face the room. He would not be caught off guard; this was Gray Fullbuster after all! If there was really something there, he would see it. At least, he hoped.

It was another few minutes of silence before Gray saw movement again. He blinked several times to be sure that it was real this time. Unfortunately, it was. He was on his feet in an instant, leaping over to the pull-string connected to the lightbulb with grace as his heart thumped frantically, echoing in his ears. His fingers had just brushed the old line when he felt sharp nails tear at the skin of his ankle. Gray let out a slight cry before pulling the string and facing his attacker.

Heart raced, eyes widened.

The black figure loomed over him, menacing and aiming for the kill. Gray took the second of hesitation to form a sword of ice to at least attempt to defend himself. His arms were raised, and he was ready for anything that the monster tried to throw at him. Before Gray got the chance to go on the offensive, the figure shifted backwards towards the wall on the other side of the room. Gray blinked once, watching the figure's lithe moments as it ultimately melted into a pool of sick ink on the floor and disappeared completely.

The ice mage rubbed at his eyes to be sure he was, in fact, awake and that incident had actually occurred. Once he was positive, he shook his head and pulled out of his thoughts.

"Oi! Natsu, Lucy! Get your butts in gear!" He screamed, pounding on the nearest wall before grabbing a shirt off the floor. He was determined to not let this thing, this demon, get the better of him this time.

Gray pulled his door open and rushed into the hall. He threw Natsu's adjacent door open, shedding light on the dark room and awakening its inhabitants. Happy was up in a second, flying quickly to Gray's side and inquiring as to what was the matter. The ice mage hushed him for the moment as he kicked Natsu off of his cot. There was a small grunt before the pink haired man was next to his best friend, ready to scream. He flailed his arms, waiting for some sort of explanation for Gray's intrusion.

Gray covered his mouth before he said something stupid, and told him simply, "There was a demon in my room,"

Natsu stopped almost instantly, black eyes narrowing in seriousness. Gray took that as a sign that he was ready to get down to business and removed his hand from his mouth, allowing the fire mage to ask, "Do Lucy and Erza know?"

Gray shook his head and motioned for him to follow him into the hall to warn them. The entire team needed to be ready for another siting at any given moment. The demons were finally showing themselves to the group, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Gray, however, wanted to be prepared for anything.

He knew from experience that if there was one, there were bound to be others.

* * *

Erza knocked on the old wooden door several times, tapping her foot while waiting for the owner of the home to answer. She was growing rather impatient, clearly irritable from her lack of sleep. It was a sacrifice, she had to keep reminding herself, a sacrifice necessary for the mission. There was always bound to be something lost on every mission; whether it be a belonging, one's pride, or even a life, there was always, always, _always_ a cost.

That was the sole thing that Erza hated - no, loathed with her entire being - about being a warrior of Fairy Tale.

"Ms. Scarlet," a voice answered, pulling Erza out of her thoughts, "Two visits in one night? Lucky me! Now, you've already gotten your friend back and all the information I have so, to what do I owe the pleasure at this hour?"

"I need her test results," Erza said simply, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword of its own accord. If there was trouble, she wanted to be able to make a move at a moments notice.

Mr. Yagami smirked, knowing that this time would come, "Please, do come in, and perhaps I can shed some light on your friends...condition,"

Erza followed the older man into the home cautiously, unaware of the painful truths that were about to be presented to her.

* * *

NOTES. Goodness gracious! I do hope you all like it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Next time, I promise to be on time with the whole update business and it will be probably double the length of this one because there's some stuff that really, really, really needs to happen next time to explain, oh, I don't know, EVERYTHING.

AND. Just to inform you all: this won't be a very long story. Possibly 10 chapters at the most (and I'm not sure if I've actually mentioned that yet or if you've caught on what with the actual countdown and whatnot).

Anyway, I hope everyone's having a good week. Anyone have anything special planned for Halloween? I think I'll just be passing out candy again and maybe going to a few parties. Hm, decisions decisions.

Until next time, loves!

ADIOS.


	5. Chapter 5

NOTES So terribly sorry for leaving you lovely, faithful readers hanging like that! I just had to stop it somewhere and before Erza finds things out seemed like a good place to me. This week has been a bit hectic with homework, projects and the like just piling up one after the other so you'll have to forgive my tardiness (again. oops!). Anyway, things are finally unraveling here on countdown so there's only a few more chapters left! I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Song of the week: As Long as You Love Me - Backstreet Boys (way, way, way! before Biebs ever tried this)

ENJOY!

Disclaimer: still applied.

* * *

Sandal-ed feet pounded against the ground, dismissing the rough stones that protruded from the dirt that he practically flew over. His heart was racing furiously in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he ran faster than he thought possible. His blue Exceed flew at his side, as ready and as eager to help find their lost comrades as well.

He could still hear the faint sobbing in the back of his mind. The sight of her tear-stricken face and watery brown eyes had almost rendered him speechless. Almost. With her face clearly etched into his head, he pushed forward.

It was only a matter of time before they reached them now. Or, so he hoped.

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27 Hours, 53 Minutes, 32 Seconds Earlier

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She could feel the subtle heat coming from the early morning sun but paid it no heed. Her thoughts were elsewhere, as usual. Lucy's worsening condition, the demons, and trying to get home with all of the members of her team all topped the list of current chaotic ideas rushing around the red-head's mind.

Naturally, she had been curious about her best friend's so-called "condition", as Mr. Yagami had said. However, there's that old adage about curiosity and a cat. She should have known, really, where the older man's assumptions would lead. She should have predicted his insane mind's ideas and promptly shooed them out of her own head. She should have, but didn't.

_"I've never seen anything like it before. It could spread; she could already be too far along in the process it be saved. I honestly don't know," _

His words echoed in her mind as she continued down the small street, in search of the next person on her list to question that morning. She couldn't shake the feeling that what Mr. Yagami could be true. She had no substantial evidence to prove otherwise, and that worried her the most.

Soon, she found herself in front of a strange door. The odd inked markings forming random patterns along the border of the door and the chipped wood signaled that it was, in fact, the place she had been looking for. The Titania took a shallow breath before raising her hand and knocking firmly on the old wood. A few moments passed and there was no answer, no sign that anyone within in threshold had even acknowledged her presence. Curiosity getting the best of her again, she twisted the knob and showed herself in.

"Hello?" She called out, the word lingering in the air as the sound of her boots reverberated off of the walls. The lights were off and the entire home seemed to be a state of disarray. Magazines were thrown, drawers pulled and dumped in various places and the couch flipped. Erza cocked an eyebrow at the sight, utterly confused. She tried calling for the homeowner again, wondering what had happened, "My name is Erza Scarlet, mage of Fairy Tail. I'm not here to harm you,"

"Get out!" A voice screeched as a book was launched towards the red-head, "I don't need you're help! I can handle this!" A frail woman no older than Erza herself, but more mature than she had thought possible emerged from what Erza assumed to be the kitchen. The small woman wielded a frying pan in one hand and a blunt knife in the other, clearly prepared to fight.

Erza crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed with her show, "I told you that I meant you no harm. I just have a few ques-"

"Did Yagami send you? Did him and his goons tell you to finally get rid of me, is that it? Well, you can tell him to go to hell after he kisses my-"

"Ma'am, pardon my interruption, but I'm not here on Mr. Yagami's orders. I swear to you on my life, I am here of my own accord," Erza assured her, eyes hard as she looked down on the woman, wanting to earn her trust quickly so she could get this over with.

The woman nodded and cautiously put down the knife. She continued to grip the pan, knuckles white, as she led Erza into another room without a word. She took a seat at a small table, mimicking Erza's actions by crossing her arms over her chest as well before speaking, "So, Erza Scarlet, mage of Fairy Tail, what did you come here for if Yagami didn't send you?" The red-head in question noticed the woman's blue eyes harden substantially. She shook her head.

"Well, Ayumi Oto, neighbor of Kimiko Yamado, tell me what you know," Erza demanded, her fingers twitching to the hilt of her blade.

"Someone's done their research," Ayumi smirked, her wittled front teeth showing through chapped lips. She ran a hand through knotted blond locks, sighing, "What do you want to know about the old bat?"

"First, I want to know what happened here. Then we'll go from there,"

"To be honest, I don't remember," Ayumi shrugged nonchalantly, waiting patiently for the next question.

"Try harder, please," Erza said, eyes narrowing a fraction as she glanced around the kitchen, which also had various items misplaced.

"I can't. My memory of it...it's blocked or something. If I try to remember, I just come up blank. Trust me, I've torn this house apart trying to find a sign of what happened," Ayumi leaned against the old counter, surveying her work of the past months. Even though she had nothing to show for it, she was pleased with how far she had gotten.

Erza eyed her skeptically, wondering whether she should actually believe her or not, "Continue with what you know about Ms. Yamado's disappearance then,"

"Oh, that? Happened a year or so ago, if I remember right. One day she was here; the next, well, I think you know,"

"Did you see anything? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"There were demons running rampant in the town. Do you honestly think I would spare the old witch a second when I had the rest of the village to look out for?" Ayumi's fist clenched, not liking the change of subject. Out of habit, she rolled up the sleeves of her sweater, preparing herself mentally and physically for the next question. She looked up from her position by the counter, attempting to make eye contact with the Fairy Tail mage to prove that she wasn't one to be messed with but found her gaze preoccupied.

"Y-you're arm," The red-head stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape as she studied the intricate, inky black markings running up the length of Ayumi's arm, "What happened?" Erza was instantly at her side, clearing the span of the room in two strides, and began inspecting the all too familiar markings.

"Demon attack," Ayumi hissed, venom lacing her words as she pulled her arm away from Erza's calculating gaze, "They got the best of me once; it won't happen again,"

"How long has it been since the attack?" Erza questioned urgently. Perhaps, if it had happened long before her team had gotten to the village, Lucy had nothing to worry about. Perhaps, Ayumi was the key to finding out more about the demons and the side effects of the attacks.

"Maybe two or three days. Why?"

Erza ignored the question, pushing any theories that she might have had about the markings aside for the time being and focused on the task at hand. It was time to get to the bottom of the mysterious Kimiko Yamado.

* * *

Gray trudged slowly behind Natsu, Happy and Lucy, his feet dragging in the dirt as he went. The trail of the demon had disappeared hours ago and the four had nothing to show for their few hours of tracking. Not even Natsu's nose could pick up any sort of scent left from the demon. So far, the entire mission was turning out to be a complete and total disaster. The ice mage hated it. He rubbed his eyes, knowing that he was sure to have bags under them from the weary night of basically no sleep, but glanced up to see how the trio in front of him were faring.

Happy landed on Natsu's shoulder, clearly tired as well. The pink haired man seemed to be unaffected by the lack of sleep and pushed forward without hesitation. His smile beamed twice as bright as the sun in the morning light and the ice mage fought the urge to smack him.

His eyes trailed over to Lucy, who's false smile still adorned her face even though it was evident that she was exhausted too. She hadn't been able to sleep since they had arrived in the village, not counting being knocked unconscious and tested. She decided that those incidents didn't really count as sleep on account of her still having nightmares the entire way through it. She tried not to dwell too much on the nightmares, however; she wanted to try and stay positive in order to help the rest of the team with the mission.

The blond pulled from her thoughts, shaking her head to remove them. She fixated her gaze on the ground and moved forward, following in Natsu's wake. The branches of the trees rustled slightly in the light breeze as the group continued through the forest.

Tired of the silence, Natsu began, "So, anybody know what's for lunch?" He put his arms behind his head and turned to face his friends, feigning innocence as he did so.

"Now isn't really the time to be thinking about food, Natsu," Lucy said with a serious tone, shaking her head as she spoke. The light in her eyes has disappeared, Natsu noticed, and she hadn't smiled all day.

"It's always the time to think about food! Unless you're fighting but there's always except-"

"Seriously, man, now isn't the time," Gray chimed in, running a frustrated hand through his dark locks. He released a sigh he hadn't realize that he had been holding and glared daggers at the offending fire mage.

_Well_, Natsu thought, _getting their spirits up would be harder than I thought_.

* * *

Erza paced about the room, the footsteps of her heeled boots echoing around her. She tapped her finger against her chin in thought. The papers she had compiled from Ayumi's interview that day were strewn about the cot, holding hidden answers that she had yet to unlock. It bothered her, certainly, that she had yet to figure out this mystery, but she knew that there had to be an explanation behind all of it.

The demons were connected to Kimiko, who was Ayumi's neighbor, who was attacked by the demons like Lucy.

This wasn't just a coincidence. Things like that don't just happen out of the blue. There needed to be a reason behind all of it.

But what?

Erza crossed the room and knelt in front of the cot in order to examine the papers for any thing else she could have over looked. The red-head scanned the information cautiously, knowing that missing something at this stage could be disastrous. Her eyes raced over the words, absorbing the information. A smirk graced her lips as she read on, piecing together the information bit by bit.

Then, she spotted an all too familiar black figure out of the corner of her eyes. She stood from her position, gripping the papers with white knuckles, and braced herself for the oncoming attack.

The attacks were becoming more frequent, she noted as she dodged a quick swipe from the figure's arm. Once Gray and Natsu had informed her of the attack much earlier that morning, she had been on high alert, but to have two attacks in one day? Something seemed rather off.

Erza rolled away from the demon, crumpling the papers into her pocket as she headed towards the door. With a swift movement, the door was ripped open and the Titania was sprinting down the hall. Daring a quick glance over her shoulder, she noticed the figure closing the distance between them. Her hand was suddenly on the doorknob, and she pushed, rushing into the afternoon atmosphere. She was armed in the blink of an eye, ready to fight off the demon that had dared to mess with her.

"Come get me!" She taunted, smirking as the inky figure materialized before her. If it wanted to fight, she would fight.

And Erza Scarlet was never one to lose.

She beckoned the demon forward, analyzing its movements. She had fought one before, but now, being able to calculate and understand its patterns was something entirely different. Lithe movements and flash-like steps were her main focus before, but while facing this demon, she would need to pay attention to its fighting styles.

She pulled her sword from its scabbard, ready to defend herself. The figure flew forward, claws barred and swinging. Erza dodged with ease, and swung at its arms only when she felt it was getting too close. Her sword seemed to cut through the demon like butter: smooth and easy. It would only take a second before the limb would attach and start swinging again. This went on for several minutes, longer than she had anticipated.

Erza was just about to deliver what she would hope to be a fatal blow, as she was getting bored with the constant dodging, when she heard familiar calls behind her. She stepped to the side, avoiding another swipe from the demon, and smirked, watching as the black figure froze before her with a helpful attack from Gray.

"I take it you didn't find the other demon then," Erza stated while examining the now frozen enemy. She ran her fingers along the length of the ice, but was confused as to why the temperature seemed so...hot.

"Unfortunately, no," Gray responded, following the Titania's gaze to the new ice sculpture. Her noticed her eyes widen a fraction before narrowing again, deep in thought, "Where did he come from?" He pointed to the demon currently locked in the ice curiously.

"Not a clue, actually," Erza said, rubbing some of the melting water over the tips of her fingers, "The attacks are becoming more frequent though. I believe that they are catching on to us and our attempts to stop them,"

Natsu was just about to comment on how they hadn't really done much of anything yet when the sound of the ice cracking silenced the conversation completely.

Five pairs of eyes widened simultaneously as pairs of hands each reached to their respective weapons. They didn't have the chance to attack, however, before the demon disappeared, practically melting into the ground as the ice faded around it.

"What happened?" Happy asked, landing, once again, on Natsu's shoulder as he stared, confused, at the remnants of the scene that had just taken place. Erza shook her head in response, unsure herself.

Clearly, there was still much work to be done.

* * *

Lucy stared blankly at the ceiling of her room. After the demon attacks of the day, Erza had told them to be on high alert, especially at night. She fingered her key ring at her hip subconsciously as she recalled the warnings. Her thoughts trailed to the remainder of the day as she twirled a piece of pin-straight blond hair around her finger.

She knew that Erza had been working all day to try to connect some of the pieces of the mission, but never actually found out what she had concluded. She also knew that Gray was reaching his limits of patience when it came to the case, which was only normal. He was becoming more and more frustrated with himself because he wasn't able to help solve it, but Lucy knew that was just one of his quirks. Happy hadn't minded flying along with the group when they had tried to hunt down the demon earlier, even though he had yet to encounter one. She supposed it was natural for him to want to come with them, seeing as how Natsu was gung-ho about the whole ordeal.

She wanted to be more like him when it came to things like this. He was always so positive and sure of himself, even when they had nothing to show for their work after almost two days. Usually on missions, they would find who their target was and annihilate them as soon as possible. Having something like this, where none of them had any idea what was really happening yet, was a new experience for the entire group.

Suddenly, there was a light knock on her door, pulling her from her thoughts. She got up from her position on the cot and opened the door cautiously.

"Hiya, Luce!" Natsu beamed, waving briefly before pushing her aside and entering her room. His smile seemed contagious, she noted, and soon found herself fighting a small smile that tugged at her lips as well.

"What's up?" She asked, leaning against one of the blank walls as the fire mage took over the cot.

"Nothing, which is exactly why I'm here," He said, "Erza said to be on high alert and that we had to stay here while she did more stuff I guess," He shrugged nonchalantly, the smile still present.

"I figured as much," Lucy responded as shivers were sent up her spine of an unknown cause. She rubbed her hands against her arms, wanting friction to warm herself, "So, did you want some entertainment or something?"

Natsu leaned back against the pillow on the cot, adjusting to a more comfortable spot, "Nah, I just figured that while we're on lockdown, I might as well get some sleep,"

"And you're in my bed because...?" Lucy asked, moving closer to the cot, ready to push him off if she needed too.

"You always get the good bed, duh!" The fire mage said, putting his arms behind his head and sighing deeply, "Now, sh. I need my beauty sleep,"

"Where the hell am I going to sleep?" The blond began tapping her foot against the wooden floors, beginning to lose her patience. There was no way they could both fit on the cot as they were able to back in Magnolia.

"We can squeeze," He said, scooting to one side of the cot as he motioned for Lucy to turn out the light. She did as she was told and soon found herself nuzzled next to the pink haired man.

She sighed deeply, inhaling his masculine scent, filled with content. It was moments before she could hear the sound of faint snoring, and she wasn't able to hold back the smile that came with the new sound.

She closed her eyes, inviting the sleep that would never come.

* * *

Bright light invaded the room, alerting the blond to the new presence that had joined her and the man still asleep beside her. She squinted, trying to adjust to the brightness.

"I've got some bad news," the red-head stated, strutting into the room an claiming the attention of the blond.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Lucy questioned, rubbing her eyes and then poking the sleeping man beside her. It was then that Lucy noticed that somehow, during their nap, his vest had come off and his hair had flattened slightly. Granted, she probably didn't look much better, but it was odd to see him like this when he was _so_ close. She heard him mumbled something that she couldn't quite catch before yawning widely. He sat up, trying to focus his vision as Lucy and Erza continued their conversation. Lucy fought the urge to laugh at his confused expression.

"Ayumi Oto was found dead in her home about an hour ago," Erza spoke, holding on to her serious mask by a string.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure who-" Lucy started before being quickly cut off.

"She was Kimiko Yamado's neighbor," Erza took a breath, avoiding eye contact with the pair situated on the small cot, "and had been infected with by the demons two days before we arrived,"

Lucy's eyes widened, instantly making the connection. She brought her hand to her lips, silencing her shallow sobs. Natsu glanced back and forth between the pair, wondering what they knew that he didn't. Erza's gaze fell to the floor, ashamed and sorry to have to be the one to tell her best friend the possibilities of the next few days.

"Why does that matter? Was she the key it to figuring this out or what?" Natsu asked, leaning forward and ready to listen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucy hold back her tears, but just barely.

Erza remained silent, unsure how to answer his questions and any impending ones that could form in his mind at any given moment. The red-head turned on her heel, and moved closer to the door, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Lucy," and kept the unsaid promise that she would figure something out before anything else happened to herself.

Lucy nodded quickly before shoving her face into her hands, allowing the tears to flow freely. Natsu, eyes wide, wrapped his arm around her in the only way he knew how to attempt to console his grieving friend. He watched Erza's retreating form, listening to the door shut with a final, sentencing _click_.

"Hey, Lucy," He whispered, peppering her shoulder with circle patterns, "it'll be all right. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out; we always do!" He tried to smile for her benefit. Reaching a hand up to the blond's own hands, he tried to pry them away from her face. He hated seeing her like this, a broken girl. It wasn't the Lucy he knew.

She allowed him to remove her hands, but avoided eye contact at all costs. Lucy shook her head, wishing that there was someway to explain to him that life isn't always so easy to handle. This time, it might be harder to figure something out, if they could figure it out at all.

"Natsu," She whispered, voice shaking, "there's something I need to tell you,"

The pink haired man turned his full attention to her, ready to hear whatever it was that she had felt like she had needed to keep from him. He felt his heart constrict, possibly stop beating, as she spoke the next words.

"I think I'm going to die,"

* * *

NOTES. Okay, so, uh, yeah. Well, that's that I suppose. I do hoped you enjoyed this chapter! SORRY IT'S KIND OF LATE. but, there was some NaLu fluff so I think I should get some bonus points or something! Ya? No? Okay, whatever. And, as usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you're more than welcome to leave a review or PM me!

CIAO.


	6. Chapter 6

NOTES. So I know that I've used this excuse before, but really, I'm a busy bee! I am so, so, so, so sorry that I couldn't get this out sooner, but I've also been trying to make the NaLu conversation as perfect as possible. I've had so much to do with finals and Christmas these past few weeks that I lost track of time. I do hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me! (Tis the season and all that jazz)

Song of the week: A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope

Disclaimer: Still no. Damn.

* * *

She sat amongst the rubble, wondering where the time had gone. It was nearly sundown and the smoke of the fires that Natsu had set still covered the atmosphere. She ran a hand through her knotted, bloodied locks and wished she wasn't so alone.

After all this time, all this worrying, she was still alone. Not much had changed.

A sigh left her lips and she laid against the cold ground.

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_21 Hours, 2 Minutes, 14 Seconds Earlier_

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_Previously:_

_The pink haired man turned his full attention to her, ready to hear whatever it was that she had felt like she had needed to keep from him. He felt his heart constrict, possibly stop beating, as she spoke the next words._

_"I think I'm going to die,"_

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Natsu asked, regaining his composure and speaking through gritted teeth.

"I'm dying," Lucy responded, hanging her head in defeat and fixating her gaze on the ground, "and we haven't found a way to stop it,"

"No,"

"Natsu, please -" She stood and crossed the room in a few short strides, trying to lengthen the distance between them. Maybe, with more distance, talking about it would be less painful. Maybe, this would somehow become easier.

"No," Natsu shook his head, fighting the urge to punch through the wall or shatter the window into a million pieces. He took a deep breath, saying, "It's not happening, Luce. I won't let it."

Lucy sighed, trying to restrain the tears that threatened to fall with each passing second. A few escaped, cascading slowly down her cheeks as she tried to convince one of her best friends that yes, this was happening, "You don't understand. How could you? I' m not even sure what's going on," She laughed darkly in the attempt to mask her pain. She needed to be strong. She wasn't sure for who, whether it be herself or Natsu, but she had to be positive.

"You don't think I get it?" Natsu whispered, clearly offended, "I get it, really. I'm just not accepting it like you are,"

Lucy stayed quiet, unsure as to how she should respond. She appreciated his tenacity and loved the fact that he wasn't ready to give up. Being a mage of Fairy Tail, she, of course, wasn't giving up either, but his reaction meant so much. She shifted her gaze, watching with wide, tearful eyes as he stood from his position on the bed. Their eyes locked.

His were gentle and understanding while she knew hers were filled with uncertainty.

She took another short breath, feeling his warm, comforting arms wrap around her in less than a moment. With the assurance of her best friend blocking out the rest of the world, she finally broke down. Her body shook, knees practically buckling as the tears poured out. Natsu held her up, allowing her to collapse against him. He could feel the salty tears through the shoulder of his vest but he wasn't about to interupt Lucy when she needed him most. He just wasn't that kind of guy.

"I-I can't, Natsu. I-I-I just-" Lucy muttered, her voice muffled slightly as she spoke into his shoulder. She clutched onto him, her only lifeline.

"It's okay, Luce," His whispered, stroking her hair to try to calm her without much result, "We'll figure something out. I promise, I promise," He spoke softly, hugging her tight. Her sobs racked through her, shaking her small frame. He couldn't take this.

It was then that something clicked in him, something he had never felt before.

He would find a way to save her, even if it killed him.

* * *

"They're catching on," a low voice grumbled, breaking the silence that had encased the room.

"We need to make a plan of attack, and soon," another voice joined in.

"It's only a matter of time," laughs followed the final comment, echoing around the chamber.

_The clock was ticking._

* * *

Erza paced back and forth across the small room, trying to push any and all thoughts of Lucy to the back of her mind. This wasn't the time to be thinking about it. She had bigger things to worry about.

Nothing was adding up. The disappearances, the random demon attacks, and the deaths were sporadic and seemed to have nothing in common. What was the source? Who was behind it? How were they connected? When would the demons come next?

She ran a hand through her long red locks, pensive. A slight knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned on her heel, eyes widening as she watching a pink haired fire mage enter with a sleeping blond cradled gently in his arms. He kicked the door shut in a swift movement, being careful not to shift Lucy too much. Natsu crossed the room, laying the girl down on the cot without a word. Erza noted the soft look to his normally fiery eyes as he turned to face her.

"Should I ask what happened?" the Titania asked, placing her arms over her chest.

"She's exhausted and I didn't want to leave her alone, so I came here," Natsu shrugged, his eyes never leaving the blond's peaceful face. He leaned against the wall, mimicking Erza's stance as he placed his arms over his chest. He sighed softly, thoughts and ideas spinning wildly around his head.

"You weren't going to stay with her? I thought after this afternoon you would want to," She raised a delicate eyebrow, her curiosity getting the better of her. She, like many other members of the Fairy Tail Guild, wasn't oblivious to the pairs affection towards each other. She knew how much Lucy meant to the fire mage that she had known for the majority of her life. She also knew how much Natsu meant to the blond sleeping soundly on the bed. Even if neither of them would recognize their feelings, she knew.

"Nah," He started with a sigh, "I wanted to try to figure some things out."

Erza nodded, understanding as her gaze shifted to the sleeping girl on her cot. She heard Natsu move from his position and inch towards the door. In a moment the words, "Don't do anything stupid," left her lips in a soft mumble. Natsu's light laughter filled her ears as the door shut behind him.

She smiled, getting back to her thoughts.

* * *

He kicked a stone, watching it roll along the path. The streets were busier than usual. As a few people went from shop to shop around the small marketplace, his eyes were peeled for any sign of suspicion. He shoved his hands into his pockets with a heavy sigh, feeling the sun shine on his neck. He glanced back and forth between each side of the narrow path, hardly big enough to even call it a road. He took in each bit of information he could gather simply by observing.

The faces soon blurred together as he continued down the street. Gray rubbed at his eyes, clearly feeling the effects of another sleepless night. He knew that he would regret not sleeping soon enough, but he wished that he would be able to gather more information before he needed to stop. He wished that he would be able to help Erza solve the mystery, but there was only so much that he could do given the situation.

Gray had tried countless times that morning to try to speak with various members of the community. All of which had failed.

He had knocked on door after door, only to have each one of those doors slammed in his face. He had opened with trying to ask about the demon attacks. When had they started? Before the question had even finished passing his lips, the door would close.

Gray was concerned to say the least. He wanted to help solve whatever this was, but was having no luck. Gray only hoped that the others were faring better than he.

"Help! Help me, please!" A shrill voice cried, pulling the ice mage from his thoughts as he strolled down the quiet stretch of road. Gray was instantly on alert, looking for the source of the pleas. His raced as he flipped his head left and right. In the blink of an eye, he took of running.

It was another demon.

* * *

He placed his hands on his knees, panting heavily. He ran a shaking hand through his stubby pink locks and released a strained breath. He looked up, briefly examining the damage he had done. The trees that had once grown tall near the edge of a small field were now charred beyond belief. Some of the trees had been toppled over in the numerous kicks and punches he had landed to them in his attempts to let of some steam, both literally and figuratively.

Natsu fell down into the semi-burnt grass, putting his hands behind his head as he let out another deep breath to calm himself. He felt like he had burned down half the forest while trying to get his mind off of Lucy and the current situation. He stared up longingly at the cloud of smoke still being produced by the burning tree limbs. Natsu groaned, digging the base of his hands into his eyes and rubbing them furiously.

He couldn't take this anymore.

He sat up, thoughts rushing through his head. He tried to block out the negative ones and focus only on the positives. There was only so much he could do, only so much he could think about before everything returned to Lucy. He started with searching for Igneel, but that, of course, lead back to Lucy's promise to help him from his father. He tried with any childhood memory, but that only went back to him missing Lucy. He wanted to try to make connections for the case, to try to figure something out for the sake of the team, but all he could think about was her.

Natsu let out a puff of fire, suddenly angry at himself. Why was he so useless? Sure, he could beat any opponent that sought after him or tried to harm his nakama, but he wasn't able to save one of his best friends. He was so strong, yet he so weak. Not even all the physical strength in the world could force an antidote to help Lucy.

He had nothing. There was nothing he could do to contribute to saving her and it was killing him.

Natsu groaned again in frustration. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wished he had never gotten his team to take the mission. He wished Lucy had never been attacked. Most of all, he wish that everything would turn out okay so that they would be able to return home as planned.

He plopped back down into the grass with a muted thud. The singed grass fanned out beside him, leaving a Natsu-sized imprint in his wake. He had planned on spending the day looking for clues and being helpful, but there was only so much that he could do. The fire mage rubbed his chin in thought.

Then, as if he was hit by a ton of bricks, he raised from his spot and bolted back towards the village.

He needed to see Lucy.

* * *

"Move! Get out of here!" Gray shouted over the shrill screams of the woman being attacked. He grabbed her arms, pulling her away from the demon in a swift movement and pushing her in the general direction of the crowd that was beginning to disperse at his command. More screams filled his ears as he turned on his heel to survey the situation.

Gray's eyes widened substantially.

Demons appeared all around him. Their numbers continued to multiply as they rose from the ground. They materialized like phantoms, catching both he and the other villagers that were trying to find safety off guard. He wanted to slap something silly because honestly, it was a little ridiculous and kind of just his luck that all of the demons would attack when he was alone.

_Typical_, he thought, running a hand through his inky hair, clearly frustrated. He knew that he would be in need of backup, but did he have time to go get Erza, Lucy, Natsu, or hell, even Happy? Probably not.

So, ultimately, his choices were to get his ass kicked and hope that someone from his team happened to hear screaming and help him or to let who-knows-what happen to the villagers while he went for help. Decisions, decisions. After wasting a few seconds of valuable time and listening to the screams of terror increase ten fold, Gray made his choice.

He took a step forward, beckoning the demons to come to him. This would be no easy fight, but he was ready.

Kind of.

* * *

"Lucy!" Erza screamed, shaking the sleeping girl in the attempt to wake her. The blond groaned and rolled to her side, trying to ignore the Titania completely, "Damn it, Lucy! Get your ass in gear! There's screaming outside and that is _never_ a good sign."

"I'm up; I'm up," Lucy slurred, rubbing at her eyes. She didn't have much time to adjust to the light of the late afternoon, however, because as soon as she sat up into a semi-upright position, Erza grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. She stumbled slightly, reaching for her keys with her free left hand as she followed Erza down the almost completely empty street. Lucy's eyes grew wide as she noticed the few civilians that had been taken by the demons. THe red-head yanked the curious blond behind the side of a house, giving them perfect cover as they watched the scene unfold before them. Gray held his hands up in defeat, ice piled around his feet. Even from the distance, Lucy could see the stress that the ice mage was under. She noted, too, that he had been careful not to be touched by the demons.

The villagers weren't so lucky.

They were marked now, like Lucy. It was even more incentive to find an end to this. Erza, sensing the change in their mission resolve, motioned for Lucy to move forward on her mark. They would take them by surprise, by ambush, and hopefully free the hostages.

It was a split second that changed everything.

Erza rushed forward, her armor glinting in the sun light and sword raised. Lucy charged behind her, whip in one hand while she held a key in the other. Loke appeared without a word, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose before rushing into the scuffle as well. Gray saw them coming, eyes wide with hope, fear, and something else. He was going to scream, to yell, to cry out that they had to get out of there because it was a trap, but it was too late. He knew their plan, but there was no way to communicate it to his team.

The on-coming trio raced forward, weapons ready, but were far too slow.

With wide eyes, they watched as the innocent villagers, simple bystanders caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Gray were pulled into the ground with the demons, dematerializing in an instant. Erza gave a feral cry that sounded like "no", but Lucy couldn't really understand it over the sound of her labored gasps. Loke was just as confused and concerned, wrapping Lucy in a hug before her knees buckled for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

The only thought that was going through her head was _this couldn't be happening. _

* * *

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks. His lungs constricted at the mere sight of Lucy on the ground, held by Loke, and Erza surveying the area with interest. He saw Erza shake her head and rushed over, pulling his muscles out of paralysis. His heart hammered in his chest, echoing painfully in his ears.

"What happened?" He asked, fearing the worst. He clenched his fist as he waited for a response.

"Another demon attack. They're taking captives now," Loke spoke softly once he realized that neither female accompanying him would say a word. He shook his head, mimicking Erza's movements with a frown.

"And Gray?" Natsu all but whispered.

"Gone, along with a few other villagers," Loke responded sadly. Natsu knew it was part of the job. An occupational hazzard, one might say, but for one his best friends to be taken was another matter entirely. He knew, deep down somewhere, that Gray was fine because he was a fighter, like all other members for Fairy Tail. He knew that he wouldn't have given up without a fight either. Gray was strong, stronger than most people gave him credit for. It was for these reasons that Natsu took a deep breath, feeling a slight weight lifting from his shoulders.

Naturally, he knew that the remaining members of the team still had a lot of work to do before this whole ordeal was solved. There was still the matter of saving Lucy as well.

Too bad there were only twenty-four hours in a day.

* * *

"So what's the plan, then?" Natsu asked as he fell into step behind Erza as they marched back to the inn. The red-haired beauty slammed the door behind him as soon as he and Lucy had entered the room. She pointed to the cot, wanting them to sit down as they tried to come up with a plan to fight back against the demons. They followed her orders without hesitation.

"First off, we need Gray back," Erza said, stroking her chin as she ran various calculations in her head and applied them to her observations of the day and the information she had already gathered, "but we need a way to find them. Natsu, can you get any traces of the demon scent?"

"Do they have a scent?" Natsu asked curiously. They were ghosts, after all, and shouldn't have acquired a scent like humans would. Erza glared at the fire mage in warning. He instantly closed his mouth and pointed his nose up, searching for a sign of the demons.

"They aren't susceptible to hand-to-hand combat. We'll have to fight them with magic for sure. Gray was able to freeze them briefly, but I'm not sure how fire would affect them," Erza thought out loud, directly her gaze at the fire mage before continuing, "Perhaps, because they're not human, the stellar spirits would be able to fight them while we find Gray and the other hostages. But where could they be hiding?"

Lucy and Natsu shared a worried glance as soon as he stopped sniffing the atmosphere. He couldn't find any traces of the demons, but there were faint scents of humans where they shouldn't be. Natsu's eyes lit up as soon as he caught a whiff of Gray. It wasn't his particular favorite smell in the world, a mix of trees and sweat, but at this point, he was ecstatic!

"Erza?" Natsu said, trying to interrupt the pensive Titania without being on the receiving end of her anger.

"-must be somewhere nearby. Materializing from the ground and having to transport others must take a lot of energy. Perhaps it's closer than we thought. Perhaps we've been looking in the wrong area all this-" Erza rattled on, pacing the room.

"Hey! Erza!" The pink haired mage tried again, waving his arms to try to get her attention. Lucy stifled a laugh, which shocked Natsu because it was the first time he had heard her even slightly chuckle since she had found out that she could quite possibly be dying. A smile grew on his face in response.

"-but we can't risk the civilians. What is it, Natsu?" She asked without missing a beat. She shifted her head slightly, implying that she was listening but was still attempting to conduct a plan.

"I can smell Gray. It's barely there, but I can get it if we hurry," Natsu nodded firmly, eyes hard and determined.

Erza turned on her heel to face the pair on the cot completely. She sucked in a shallow breath and began explaining, "Here's what we're going to do," She started, "Natsu, you need to focus on sniffing out Gray and the other villagers. If you find them, we find the demons. Lucy, you need to conserve your energy so that when the time comes, you can summon the stellar spirits. If my hunch is right, they should be able to combat the demons without a problem,"

"And you?" Lucy asked numbly, trying to absorb the information as much as possible. She fiddled with her fingers, pondering numerous scenarios of the on-coming battle that was bound to take place.

"Me? I'm going to pay another visit to Mr. Yagami,"

* * *

NOTES. Whoa. Dang. Like oh my gosh, whoa. Another chapter is finally done! I hope you all liked it and, of course, please leave a review or PM for some helpful criticism. I'd really like to know how I'm doing with this!

PEACE AND BLESSINGS. PEACE AND BLESSINGS.


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